Alfred Alexander Taylor (August 6, 1848 – November 25, 1931) was an American politician and lecturer from eastern Tennessee. He served as the 34th governor of Tennessee from 1921 to 1923, one of three Republicans to hold the position from the end of Reconstruction to the latter half of the 20th century. He also served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1889 to 1895. Taylor ran for governor again in 1910, but lost his party's nomination to Ben W. Hooper. He was victorious in 1920 due in large part to divisions within the Democratic Party over taxes and women's suffrage.

Early life

Taylor was born in the Happy Valley community of Carter County, Tennessee, the second son of Nathaniel Green Taylor, a congressman, Methodist minister, and poet, and Emaline Haynes Taylor, an accomplished pianist.

After his study of law, Taylor was admitted to the bar in 1870 and commenced practice in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

Early political career

Taylor was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1874, and served one term. Among his initiatives was the creation of Unicoi County in 1875. He would later refer to the county as, "my baby."

left|190px|thumb|Taylor, c. 1886

In 1878, Taylor sought his party's nomination for the 1st district congressional seat held by Augustus Pettibone. Although Taylor had popular support, Pettibone managed to win the nomination at the party's convention, angering Taylor's supporters. Taylor's brother, Robert (a Democrat), ran against Pettibone in the general election, and with the support of both Democrats and his brother's disgruntled supporters, captured the seat. He was defeated for reelection by Pettibone after just one term, and no Democrat has been elected to the seat since. He was reelected in 1890, edging Roderick R. Butler (who ran as an independent) by less than a thousand votes. He was reelected to a third term in 1892. During his congressional tenure, Taylor supported the McKinley Tariff, a protectionist measure that raised tariffs on imports by 50%. He also supported the Lodge Bill, which would have provided protections for black voters in the South. Taylor's uncle, Landon Carter Haynes, was a leading East Tennessee Democrat during the Civil War, and served in the Confederate Senate. Taylor was a cousin of Nathaniel Edwin Harris, who served as Governor of Georgia from 1915 to 1917.

Taylor married Jennie Anderson in 1881, and they had ten children together.

See also

  • List of governors of Tennessee

References

Further reading

  • Taylor, Robert L. Jr. "Apprenticeship in the First District: Bob and Alf Taylor's Early Congressional Races." Tennessee Historical Quarterly 28 (Spring 1969): 24–41.
  • Taylor, Robert L. Jr. "Tennessee's War of the Roses as Symbol and Myth," Tennessee Historical Quarterly 41 (1982): 337–59.
  • Alfred Alexander Taylor – entry at the National Governors Association
  • Governor Alfred A. Taylor Papers, 1921 - 1923, Tennessee State Library and Archives.